Fast Facts
April 24, 2006
- The first place famous Dutch explorer Henry Hudson set foot upon his New York arrival was Coney Island. In 1609, Hudson approached what is now New York Harbor and disembarked precisely on the spot where one of the world’s largest and most famous amusement parks would someday stand.
The so-called bee and fly varieties of orchid form themselves into perfect replicas of female flies and bees, and reproduce the scents of these insects with such accuracy that male bees and flies are irresistibly attracted to them. Once they have landed on the orchids’ petals, the insects help pollinate the species.
The baobab tree of Australia has a short, fat trunk that develops into a shape that is an almost perfect replica of a bottle. It is known throughout Australia as the “”bottle tree.””
The Bible mentions salt more than 30 times.
Computers that are well-advanced (i.e., highly programmed) at playing chess are capable of beating 95 percent of all chess players well-versed in the game.
Alaska has a sand desert with dunes more than 100 feet high. It is located along the flatlands of the Kobuk River in the northwestern part of the state.
Mother’s Day was started by a woman named Anna Jarvis of Grafton, W.Va. In 1907, Jarvis began a campaign for the nationwide celebration of motherhood. At first no one paid much attention to her, but gradually churches and local town organizations began inviting her to speak at their meetings. Soon her notions caught on throughout the country, and on May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the holiday official.
